Hash 1373

'Twas the night of Hallowe'en, and it was eerily quiet in Great Hampden. Well, actually it was the night after Hallowe'en and there was a right raucous gathering in a pub car park in Great Hampden! A bunch of dafties all dressed up as ghosts and ghouls, black cats and witches, skeletons and zombies, and a Mexican!

Being the day after Hallowe'en it was actually All Saints Day, so we should really have dressed up as Saints, but that wouldn't have been as much fun, and I don't think many of the rabble could pull off being Saints… making much better scary characters, and a Mexican!

Moggie Maggie gave us our instructions including what we should do with a pumpkin filled with sweets. The pumpkin was given to Andy as a forfeit for being BOO-ring and not dressing up, and the first person to a check had to run back and find Andy and his pumpkin, eat some sweets and then carry the pumpkin until the next bod came along to relieve them of it. As it turns out Andy ended up carrying the pumpkin most of the hash anyway. That'll learn him to snub fancy dress!

So off we went, out of the well signed car park, over the road, through Hampden Common into Monkton Wood. There were a few exchanges of the pumpkin and lots of sweet wrappers rustling, chomping and slurping noises going on … apart from Helen, who thought the best place to keep her sweets was down the top of her witches dress, saving them for later! Not sure if sweets would melt in such a place they were certainly safe!

Next was a long-short split. The Longs heading off down Lilly Bottom Lane, "Sugar Boobs" leading the way with the pumpkin, and her Skittles wedged firmly up against her, erm… dress. Through some more woods, wondering who the helicopter above was looking for, and we came to a road to cross to the woods the other side. "'ello ello ello? What's goin' on 'ere then?" Seems they were looking for a bunch of ghosts and ghouls, black cats and witches, skeletons and zombies, and a Mexican, that had been reported prancing round the woods trying to scare the voles. Before Roger had a chance to explain, PC Plod asked if we were hashers… "Yes Sir!" "Ah, that explains it…. carry on then!" You get away with anything being a hasher in fancy dress!

On we went to find a light up ahead coming towards us. It wasn't an on-back as there wasn't a front runner that far ahead… turned out to be a short cutter Rob... lost! If that wasn't bad enough, he was then handed the pumpkin to lug around with him while he tried to keep up with the Longs! Poor chap! That'll learn him to get lost!

A cabbage field* (that Poppy enjoyed so much she was nearly left behind) and some large mushroom clumps later and we were on the home stretch and soon back at the pub. The highlights of Roger's speech were the winner of the best costume going to Helen (probably because she had copious amounts of sweets stuffed down her dress!) and the offering of Parkin and Soul Cake, which are traditionally made for All Hallows' Eve, All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day and made by Roger's own fair hands. Andy wanted us all to know (or was it Des) that the Parkin cake should not be eat while stood in one spot, or you might get a parkin' ticket! Boom boom! Chips preceded the cake too, so we all made sure we shovelled the calories back in so we didn't waste away. God forbid we go hashing to get fit and lean!

Thanks for a great hash Moggie Maggie and Devilish Dave! Lots of fun had by ghosts and ghouls, black cats and witches, skeletons and zombies, and a Mexican!

* – I fell over just before the cabbage field while trying to scare Roger!